Indigenous Voices Take the Airwaves

By Nfer Muñoz, IPS, 12 July 2000

SAN JOSE, Jul 12 (IPS) - Indigenous groups in Costa Rica are using
radio waves to preserve their cultures and traditions, resolve
community problems and spread news from their villages in their own
languages.

Radio Maleku, La Voz de Talamanca and Radio Boruca are three rural
radio stations that have set the standard for indigenous broadcast
communications and currently keep several communities informed of
local news and promote distance learning for young people.

The radio helps us a great deal in the development of our
towns, Radio Boruca director Carlos Morales told IPS.

Despite their modest studios and limited technological infrastructure,
the three radio stations operate seven days a week - the work of
indigenous volunteers and announcers.

The stations are the collective property of their respective
communities. Once a year, each holds a general assembly to elect the
members of the radio station board.

Such is the case of Radio Boruca, located in the village of the same
name 200 km southeast of San Jose with a population of 3,000. There,
Morales and eight others are in charge of filling airtime every day
from 4:00 am to 5:00 pm local time.

We have very useful shows, said Morales, We broadcast
agricultural news, local music and advice on how to deal with
naturally caused problems, like flooding.

The initiative to promote indigenous radio in this country dates back
to 1979 when a project of the non-governmental Costa Rican Institute
of Radio Education (ICER) was born.

Since then, ICER, in conjunction with the Ministry of Education, has
sought to provide broadcast equipment, maintenance, and training for
technicians and announcers, but always ensuring that it is the local
community that directly manages and runs the radio stations.

The goals of these three stations are to uphold local indigenous
culture, as well as informing, training and entertaining, ICER
journalist Rohanny Vallejo told IPS.

As a result of decisions by the assemblies, and a reflection of
community practices, the stations' programmes are broadcast in
Spanish, and occasionally in the local languages.

Special educational programmes are recorded in ICER studios, many in
indigenous languages, then broadcast locally as part of the distance
learning project.

Several international organisations specialising in indigenous issues
have indicated that, though today indigenous peoples make up just
seven percent of the population in the Americas, they must be given
support to encourage community development.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) pointed out that one of
the biggest errors committed by Latin American governments has been to
treat indigenous peoples as populations in transition, who must
be integrated into the dominant white culture.

The ICER initiative tries to avoid making the same mistake by giving
local communities complete autonomy in deciding the fate of their
radio stations.

The indigenous stations have turned out to be a great help in the
area of education, said Rito Stewart, of the Bri Bri indigenous
group and ICER employee.

Stewart is an educator, graduate of the National University of Costa
Rica, and is involved in creating literacy programmes for the
far-flung regions of the country.

These radio programmes, known as Teacher in the House, help
rural youth older than 14 to pursue studies at the primary or
secondary level from their own homes.

An ILO study estimates that the current indigenous population of Costa
Rica tops 30,000 people, and indicates that the best- preserved
languages of these communities are Maleku, Guaym¡, Cabcar and Bri
Bri.

The special informative role of the three indigenous radio stations is
evident when they announce special parliamentary projects, community
meetings or town activities. If such information is provided over the
airwaves, community participation tends to be widespread.

These radio stations are currently engaged in information efforts in
local languages about procedures the indigenous communities must
follow in order to take part in the national census underway in Costa
Rica.

We are very pleased because the announcers are preserving our
culture and we are involved in important social efforts thanks to the
radio, which belongs to us, said Morales.

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